Car-buffer.



No. 745,667. PATBNTED DBG. 1, 1903.

W. F. RICHARDS.

GAR BUFFER. i APPLIGATION FILED APR. 17, 1902.

N MODEL.

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UNITED lSTATES atented :eeember I, 1903.

PATENT OFFICEe WILLARD F. RICHARDS, OF BUFFALO,`NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GOULD COUPLER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

CAR-.BU FFER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters' Patent No. 745,667, dated December 1, 1903.

Application filed April 17, A1902. Serial No. 103,279. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be itknown thatI, WILLARD F. RICHARDS, j a citizen of the United States, residing at BubV falo, in the county of Erie and State of New Yoi'lr,have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Butters, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to arailway-car buffer or yielding platform extension which forms with the corresponding extension of an f adjoining car a continuous platform between two coupled cars. The buifer is usually pivotally supported, so as to be capable Vof as-I suming an angular position relative to the has been moved to an angular position. buifers of this consti-notion long rightingsprings are required to permit the necessary angular movement of the buer when the cars are rou ndin g o r are cou pled or uncoupled on curves, and such ouders are not practical in some cars, the construction ofiwhich does not afford space for long righting-springs, nor in cars which are operated on roads having such sharp curves that when two cars are coupled on a curve the thrust or shock acts p in a direction at such a great angle to the po.

sition of the cars that the single central buffer-springs cannot properly resist or absorbv portion of the central stem is the usual heavy the shock.

The object of the invention is to providea simple, strong, and effective buder mechanism which is free from the above-stated objections.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a plan view of the end portion ofthe frame of a car provided with a buffer embodying the invention and showing by dotted lines the relative position of the bilder of an adjoining car when thee-ars are about to be coupled on a curve. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section online 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 3 3, Fig. l.

Like letters of reference refer to like paris in the several figures.

`necting the longitudinal frame members.

A A represent the side sills; B B, the cenwhich connects the ends of the side sills and draft-beams, and D a transverse sill or timber in `rear of the platform end sill and con- In the construction shown in the drawings the side sills and draft-beams are in the form of flanged metal beams or bars, and a longitudinal filling-timber E is arranged between the draftbeams and embraced by the flanges thereof.

F represents the bufferhead or plate,which, as usual, is yieldingly supported in front of the platform end sill, andf represents the usual threshold-plate, which is secu red to the top of the buEer-head and extends rearwardly over the platform end sill. The buffer-head is curved horizontally or has rearwardly-'inclined ends, and the front face of the platformend sill is correspondingly curved or inclined at its ends, so that the bunter-head can move bodily toward the end sill. The buer head is supported by a central buer bar or stem G and side buffer bars or stems H, arranged on opposite sides of the central stem. Each stem passes loosely through ahole gin the platform end sill and is pivoted at its front end to the buffer-head. The rear end of the central stem ispreferably reduced and enters and is guided by a hole h in the filling-timber between the draft-beams. The fillingtimber is provided with an opening or springpocket Vh in rear of the platform end sill, and in this opening and surrounding the reduced buffer-spring I, which preferably bears at its end against a bearing-plate fzl in the springpocket. Also surrounding the reduced end of the stem within'the bilder-spring is the usual light projecting spring J, which is longer than the buffer-spring and bears at its opposite ends against the bearing-plate t' and a shoulder or oollarj on the stem.

Each side stein is provided with a heavy ter'or draft beams; C, the platform end sill buffer-spring and a lighter projecting or rig-hting spring corresponding to the bui'er and projecting springs for the central stem. The springs for each side stem are confined in a spring-pocket arranged in rear of the end sill and which is constructed as follows: K rep- ICO resents a transverse bar or piece which forms the rear side of the spring-pocket and the bearing-plate for the rear ends of the buffer and, projecting springs. The rear piece is connected intermediate of its ends to the end sill by separated side bars or pieces 7c, which form the sides of the spring-pocket. As shown, the side pieces are provided at their front ends with lateral extensions attached to the end sill by bolts 7c and at their rear ends with lateral extensions attached to the rear piece by rivets or the like. L represents inclined braces which are connected at their front ends by rivets or the like to the forward portions of the side pieces of the spring-pocket. The brace-bars diverge rearwardly, and the rear end of one is secured by rivets or the like Z to the web of the adjacent side sill, while the rear end of the other is secured by rivets or the like to the web of the adjacent draft-beam. The brace-bars are Secured intermediate of their ends by rivets or the like to the rearwardly-diverging ends Z of the rear piece K of the spring-pocket. The construction affords a simple and strong spring-pocket whichv transmits the buffing strains directly to the side sills and draftbeams through the inclined braces L.

The rear end of each side stem is preferably reduced and projects through a hole in the rear piece of the spring-pocket, being provided in rear of said piece with a pin or the like m to limit the forward movement of the buffer. i

M and N represent the buffer and projecting or righting springs for each side stem. They surround the stem in the spring-pocket in a manner similar to the central springs, and the projecting spring, which is longer than the buffer-spring, abuts at its rear end against the rear piece of the pocket and at its forward end against a collar or shoulder ln on the stem. j

The light projecting springs normally hold the buffer-head forwardly in the position shown in Fig. l, so that ity can move in when the cars are coupled before the buffer-springs are brought into action. While the described manner of supporting the buer-head enables it to swing somewhat or assume an angular position relative to the car, an extended angular movement is not necessary, owing to the curved shape of the buEer-head. When the cars'are coupled on a curve and bear the extreme angular position to each other indicated in Fig. l, the side springs take the greater part of the shock, and being nearly in line with the point of contact of the cars the buffer is not strained, as it would be if the central buer-spring alone was employed, and the spring action of the buffer is materially improved.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with a car-frame comprising an end sill having a curved outer face, and separated longitudinal beams,of a bufferhead which is curved to correspond to the curved outer face of the end sill, a central and side stems connected to said buffer-head and slidably mounted on said end sill, and buffersprings for said central and side stems arranged at the inner side of said end sill between said longitudinal beams, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a car-frame comprising draft-sills and side sills, of a bufferhead, stems connected to said buffer-head and slidably supported by the car-frame, a buiferspring and a projecting spring foreach stem, spring-pockets for said springs, and braces for said spring-pockets secured to said draftbeams and side sills, substantially as setforth.

3. The combination with a car-frame, comprising an end sill, side sills and draft-beams, of a bufferhspring pocket secured to said end sill,and inclined braces secured to said springpocket and to the adjacent draft-beam and side sill, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a car-frame comprising an end sill, side sills and draft-beams, of a side buffer-spring pocket located between one of said draft-beams and one of-said side sills and comprising side pieces secured to said end sill, a rear piece secured to said side pieces and projecting beyond the same, and inclined braces secured to said rear and side pieces and one secured to said draft-beam and the other secured to said side sill, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 12th day of April, 1902.

WILLARD F. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

JNO. J. BONNER, C. M. BENTLEY.

IOO 

